Black tea manufacture
AssigneeUnilever Patent Holdings B.V.
InventorsPadma Balakrishnan, Anitha Rao, Navin K. Sharma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for manufacturing black leaf tea with improved aroma. The process involves treating freshly plucked tea leaves with jasmonic acid or one of more derivatives thereof, macerating and fermenting the leaves, firing the fermented leaves to arrest fermentation and then drying them to yield black leaf tea. Treating the leaves in this way, preferably prior to a withering step, enhances aroma in the tea and infusions made from it.
Claims11
In a process for manufacturing black leaf tea comprising the steps of macerating freshly plucked tea leaves, allowing them to ferment, firing the leaves to arrest fermentation and then drying them to yield black leaf tea, the improvement which comprises treating the tea leaves with jasmonic acid or one or more derivatives thereof prior to maceration to enhance aroma.
A process of manufacturing black tea comprising treating tea leaves post plucking with jasmonic acid or its derivatives or a mixture thereof at a concentration of 0.001 to 0.5% for 14 to 20 hours at a temperature 15 to 30° C. to improve the aroma of tea.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.